Traditionally, an ophthalmic device, such as a contact lens, an intraocular lens, or a punctal plug, included a biocompatible device with a corrective, cosmetic, or therapeutic quality. A contact lens, for example, may provide one or more of vision correcting functionality, cosmetic enhancement, and therapeutic effects. Each function is provided by a physical characteristic of the lens. A design incorporating a refractive quality into a lens may provide a vision corrective function. A pigment incorporated into the lens may provide a cosmetic enhancement. An active agent incorporated into a lens may provide a therapeutic functionality. Such physical characteristics are accomplished without the lens entering into an energized state. An ophthalmic device has traditionally been a passive device.
Novel ophthalmic devices based on energized ophthalmic inserts have recently been described. These devices may use the energization function to power active optical components. For example, a wearable lens may incorporate a lens assembly having an electronically adjustable focus to augment or enhance performance of the eye.
Moreover, as electronic devices continue to be miniaturized, it is becoming increasingly more likely to create wearable or embeddable microelectronic devices for a variety of uses. For example, in one unrelated field, components which include microfluidic regions have become useful tools for diverse purposes. Amongst those purposes, the function of performing the analysis of an analyte in a fluid sample may be possible.
Testing of ocular fluid samples have demonstrated that it contains various chemical constituents that can be useful to identify biomarkers therein. However, the sampling and testing of ocular fluid requires abrasive procedures to the patient and complex equipment. As a result, an ophthalmic device that can incorporate microfluidic elements to perform ocular fluid analytical procedures in convenient and useful ways that are innocuous to a user are desired.